ASU Sailing competes in fall championships

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Arizona State battled heavy seas and overcast skies for the Fall Pacific Coast Championships in the waters outside of Santa Barbara Harbor this weekend and managed to stay afloat under challenging conditions. The Arizona State University Sailing Club placed 12 in divisions sailed out of 21. The regatta was hosted by the University of California at Santa Barbara and on November 12 and 13.

There were eight races run over the course of two days. Saturday started out overcast with heavy seas with wind speeds of 12 to 14 knots and by the end of the day the wind and swells died out. Sunday was better with sunshine and smoother seas with wind speeds of 10 to 12 knots. Sophomore Steve Cassingham scored 10 in his division with one fifth-place finish.

Spenser Branch and Michael Garrigan sailing upwind.

There were 74 boats entered among 21 colleges and universities. At the regatta, six sailors represented ASU with two boats entered. The varsity skippers were sophomore Spenser Branch and sophomore Steve Cassingham. The B varsity division, skippered by Cassingham, placed ninth and the A division, skippered by Branch, placed 14. The team did not race in the C division and placed 16 overall. For full results, click here.

The top finishers in the regatta were Stanford University, University of California at Santa Barbara, University of Southern California, University of Oregon and University of Hawaii.

The team’s finish qualifies the ASU team to compete in the Rose Bowl Regatta hosted by the University of Southern California at the Alamitos Bay Yacht Club in Long Beach, Calif. on January 7 and 8.